Joachim Patinir, Landscape with the Flight into Egypt, 1516–17

by Atelier Liesjes

A towering rock formation dominates the left-hand side of the picture: grey-blue, jagged cliffs with a narrow passage between them, onto which the light falls at an angle. From that height, a wide valley opens up, with a broad river flowing between green banks towards a bluish distance, where a mountain range fades into the mist. On the right, amongst the trees, lie white farmhouses with red roofs, an orchard and a pond with two white swans; in a yellow cornfield, small figures are bending over the harvest. Down below, on a sandy path, Joseph, wearing a dark blue tunic and carrying a staff, leads the way, guiding a grey donkey on which Mary, wearing a blue cloak and a white veil, sits with the child close to her. Higher up on a rocky outcrop stands a small figure with a staff. Patinir depicts the whole of creation: rocks, water, woodland, meadow and sky, with the small, biblical story set amidst them. Here, humankind is not the centre of attention but a wanderer in an overwhelming natural landscape. The colours are cool and translucent – blue-green, grey and ochre – with a warm glow in the distance; the paint is applied thinly and delicately, with a high horizon and a sweeping perspective that guides the eye from the rocks towards the horizon. The rocks are reminiscent of the region around Dinant, where the painter came from; he observed nature in various places and later brought those impressions together in his studio. Joachim Patinir (Dinant c. 1480 – Antwerp 1524) was one of the first European painters to prioritise the landscape over the narrative. He became a master of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke in 1515, collaborated with artists including Quinten Massijs, and was praised by Albrecht Dürer. His world landscapes, featuring towering rocks and vast expanses, had a major influence on the Flemish landscape painters of the sixteenth century. This late work is an intriguing, tranquil piece suited to a classical interior.